Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, says an effective National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, remains the best panacea for the development of the health sector and an efficient healthcare delivery in the country.
Speaking while receiving a delegation of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, in his office on Monday, Professor Osinbajo explained that the government both at federal and state levels, cannot adequately provide healthcare for almost 200 million Nigerian people.
Citing India as an example, the Vice President noted that India has the most privatized healthcare system in the world, with individual states being responsible for providing healthcare.
In addition, Professor Osinbajo emphasized the need for doctors to be well remunerated regardless of their location, either rural or urban.
He emphasized that NHIS is the key in resolving a lot of the financial problems in the health sector, adding that the Buhari administration has made the national health insurance central to the plans for the healthcare system in All Progressives Congress, APC’s next level document.
Speaking earlier, the Minister Of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, mentioned the ministry’s strides in achieving the universal health coverage towards the expansion of the NHIS.
He thanked the presidency for the presidential assent of the appropriation act, which for the first time, approved the release of the 1% for the basic healthcare provision fund, and disclosed that the ministry of finance has released the first quarter allocation of N13.7billion.
